Weighted GPA: 3.88
UC GPA: 3.54 (If I calculated correctly)
ACT Composite: 32
ACT ELA: 28
4 AP classes from 10th-11th grade
ECs: Weak-medium
Personal essay should be fine
Out of state (Iowa)
(Yes I know costs)
Top 25% of class (Don’t know if this counts for anything but my school is ranked #1 in my state)
According to the UC eligibility index I am in the top 9% of California students
Majoring in philosophy and psychology
Applying to: Berkeley, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine
Already have safeties just in case
UC GPA is low for all the UC’s on your list and ACT looks on target. Since UC’s are very GPA focused this could impact your chances. Outstanding essays and EC’s could help your application but I think all will be a tough admit. Are you financially able to pay OOS fees for these schools? Since you are OOS, the ELC (Eligibility index) does not apply to you.
Unless you can commute to these UC’s from your relatives home, you will still be paying OOS tuition and fees which is around $38K/year. Add another $14-16 K/year for on campus housing. Your UW vs UC GPA do not make sense. Did you take any AP/IB or DE courses in 10-11th grades? You get extra honors points for these courses in the UC GPA calculation.
I will not be living on campus which is what will bring the price down. My school used trimesters 10th grade and semesters 11th grade and UC only accounts for the semester system, so it’s very confusing. I took two AP classes each year (no Ds).
So you are saying you will be living off campus at your relative homes? or renting a room/apartment? All these areas have expensive housing (if not living with relatives) so you need to include these expenses, along with transportation into your costs. Also does your school offer many AP classes? UC’s look at HS course rigor along with GPA, test scores, essays and EC’s as part of their application review.
You are still looking at about $38K/year as an OOS student not including housing/transportation/books/health insurance.
If your UW GPA is 3.65 and with 4 AP classes, your UC GPA should be around 3.8-4.0, so I would double check your calculation.
Update: UCGPA 3.83, I looked further and found how to deal with the trimester/semester system in calculating C/W GPA. UW 3.5, I accidentally included freshman year before. Yes, I will be living with my brother and sister who are moving to California and will rent near whichever school I attend. I feel more confident in UCSB now. Berkeley still quite the reach.
Students often say that they’re going to live with relatives and commute to a UC, without realizing that:
A) their relatives don’t live near the UCs that they’re applying to (and they don’t realize that traffic in Calif means that you can’t drive long distances to school…or…
B) They don’t get accepted to the UC that is near their relatives" home…or
C) they won’t have a car to drive to and from school
How much will your parents pay each year for college? Tuition, books and fees and transportation as an OOS student at a UC is probably $35k per year, at least.
@mom2collegekids
Actually the plan was that they would relocate to whatever city I decide to attend college in (they will have lived in NorCal for a year at that point, already intending to move south) but with absolutely zero financial aid offered to oos students, UC appears to no longer be an option. I am now looking at staying on-campus at Pepperdine if I receive scholarships or with my brother and sister (the aforementioned relatives) in San Diego attending USD.
Your residence is where your parents reside. Living with relatives does not “count” in the eyes of the state schools. The privates like Pepperdine and USD are expensive.
Are you saying that your brother and sister will move to whatever city you go to school at so that you can live there an commute? Or that they will move to San Diego so that you can commute to USD (the private university)?
What other schools do you have on your list besides Pepperdine and USD since there is no guarantee that you will be accepted at either? You need a much broader list than two schools especially with the competitiveness of so many of the California schools. Take a look at Point Loma, Loyola Marymount, Chapman University and Concordia.
@Gumbymom
Right now I am looking at Pepperdine, USD, and Cal Poly SLO. If I do not get accepted to one of these schools, I will likely attend college at Iowa. I am still deciding whether Cal Poly will be worth oos tuition, and will definitely only go there if I can surely graduate in 4 years (I will have 9 APs by the end of senior year, so that should combat the financial crisis).
@mom2collegekids
Of the three schools listed above, my brother and sister will move to either SLO or San Diego, and I will commute from their house. Malibu is far too expensive for them to rent in so I would have to live on-campus at Pepperdine.
@“aunt bea”
My stats are a mess above, and directed towards UC, but I should qualify for at least $22,000 in scholarship to Pepperdine and $15-20,000 to USD, as well as a cheaper room and board cost if I live with my siblings. Still looking for more scholarships though.
@2017er It has become easier in the past couple of years to get required classes at Cal Poly SLO and many students do graduate in 4 years, and some earlier. Changing majors isn’t that difficult (however you must follow the required steps to do so) http://advising.calpoly.edu/change-major
SLO is a nice area with a really nice downtown and it’s close to the beach, and mid-way between LA and SF (for weekend concerts, etc). Cal Poly SLO (as well as Cal State Chico) are in college towns.